Happy Friday! The spring practice previews continue with the wide receivers. This was a position group that answered a lot of questions last season and is looking to be more explosive in 2019. The group is led by seniors Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale with promising juniors Ty Fryfogle and Whop Philyor adding to that veteran presence. With a new offensive coordinator and what will be a good quarterback battle, fans should be excited what they could see from this group.

We are under two months away from the Indiana Football spring game and just over a week away from the first spring practice. It is time for Hoosier Huddle’s preview coverage to ramp up after a couple-month break following the season-ending loss to Purdue.

With a new offensive coordinator in town, the expectations are already heightened for Indiana’s 2019 offense. The excitement only grows more when you take a look at the three options Indiana will have at quarterback; each brings a unique skillset but also their own set of questions to the table. The quarterback competition will certainly be on the front of everyone’s mind as the 2019 season draws nearer.

The Cream and Crimson game is less than two months away! That means it is time for Hoosier Huddle’s spring preview coverage to ramp up. The first article in our preview series is on one of the deepest and most talented position groups on the Indiana roster: running back. A stellar sophomore returns after a terrific debut season, a fellow sophomore is back after showing flashes in his freshman season and a pair of highly-anticipated freshmen are joining the backfield. This cadre of backs gives new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer a whole lot to work with. I’ll begin by giving a brief breakdown of each player in the running back room, provide a few things to look from the backs during spring practice and then finish with a projected depth chart.

It wasn’t feeling much like spring in Bloomington on Thursday morning, with the snow flurries falling and the freezing wind chill, but inside John Mellencamp Pavilion the energy and intensity at IU's fourth spring football practice was enough to keep anyone warm as the Hoosiers were in full pads for the first time this spring.

It may be March, but it felt like a gorgeous fall day in Bloomington this afternoon as the Hoosiers kicked off their spring practice on Saturday afternoon. This was the first of four practices before the Indiana players embark on spring break (IU will have 11 practices after spring break including the annual Spring Game on April 14th) and head coach Tom Allen has set his focus on three goals before the Hoosiers go on hiatus: Installing new concepts in all three phases, technique and execution.

Throughout the 2017 season, injuries were a problem for the wide receiver group which lead toadjustments in the passing game and forced young players to step up. When three experiencedreceivers suffered season-ending injuries early in the season, the Hoosiers needed to findproduction and consistency in the group that remained healthy. Redshirt junior J-Shun Harris IIand junior Nick Westbrook both suffered from season-ending ACL tears and junior DonavanHale suffered a season ending injury in the third game of the season. The Hoosiers worked anumber of players into the offense at the receiver position and worked to figure out the rightcombination but it was something they seemed to struggle with all season.

Indiana head coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Mike DeBord will have their hands full in trying to replace the production from former tight end Ian Thomas. As alluded to in our positional preview, Thomas will graduate in May and pursue an NFL career. Analysts project him to be selected anywhere between the third and fifth round of the NFL Draft in April. Ian Thomas’ size and athleticism make him an intriguing pro prospect, as well as a difficult player for Indiana to replace.

After seeing former IU tight end Danny Friend catch just seven passes during Kevin Wilson’s final year as coach, Hoosier football fans rejoiced upon learning Mike DeBord took more advantage of the position in the passing game. The results spoke for themselves as Thomas compiled 25 catches for 276 yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, former walk-on Ryan Wattercutter added 12 catches for 69 yards. Indiana will continue to utilize their tight ends in the passing game and especially in the red zone. Wattercutter will return to IU as a redshirt senior this season. He will be joined by redshirt sophomore Shaun Bonner, redshirt junior Austin Dorris, and redhirt freshman Peyton Hendershot. Which Hoosier tight end will step and deliver in 2018?

With the new offensive coordinator and tight end coach Mike DeBord’s system being put inplace in 2017, the tight end position saw more action last season than in previous years. Goinginto the Hoosiers 2017 season there was a big name everyone was talking about to watch foron the offensive side of the ball, Ian Thomas. At 6’5’’ 250 pounds, they looked for him to be anincredible weapon at the tight end position. Thomas added an important element to theHoosiers offense last season, leading the team in average yards per reception and scoring 5touchdowns during his senior season. Thomas graduates in May and will look to pursue acareer in the NFL, and the Hoosiers will look to fill the starting tight end position.

Our next installment of the Spring Practice Preview is the position battle at kick returner. While some may scoff at this and say that kick return is just not that important or we are reaching here, there is immense value in these “hidden” yards. According to Bill Connelly’s book Study Hall which chronicled the 2012 college football season teams that held a significant starting field position advantage tended to win the game more often than not.

After a disappointing rushing attack that finished 12th in the Big Ten in yardage (130 ypg) and scored the fewest touchdowns (11) in 2017, the Hoosiers will attempt to get back on track in the 2018 season. Whether these poor statistics can be blamed on the running backs or the blocking is up for debate, but what is certain is that with a depth chart that possesses more talent heading into the 2018 season, the Hoosiers are primed for steady success. Running backs coach Mike Hart has difficult lineup decisions ahead of him; the running backs boast arguably Indiana’s greatest depth, in a mixture of talented underclassmen and experienced upperclassmen. It is key for Indiana running backs, along with the offensive line, to establish a strong running game to take pressure off the inexperienced quarterback likely to line up alongside them in the backfield. Here’s how I see the depth chart working itself out come September 1st